Decision timing/When can I start to work?

[virtua]

Hello forum,

I am in a really difficult situation, at the moment I`m unemployed and I`m waiting for admission decision for Spring 2017. Now, the thing there is a company (in my homecountry) which would hire me if I stay with them for 2 years, but the problem is what if I get admitted? I will have to leave which is breach of the contract. Now, also, the manager asked me about the time when I can make up my mind about this and I said I probably will be able to know in Sep/Oct. Now my questions are:

1. When are offers with assistantship usually sent for Spring 2017?

2. Let`s say I`ve got admitted and I`ve been awarded an assistantship, let`s say I finished all my paperwork by Oct, is it possible to start my position before the classes start? I mean can I start working right after paperwork is finished? In Oct, for example. Would I get payed?

[TakeruK]

The answers to both questions depend on the program you are being admitted to.

For question 1, you can try checking the Results Survey on TheGradCafe for your programs and see if they are listed. Otherwise, asking the schools you've applied to would be the best bet.

Question 2 depends on the school's ability to fund you. At my school, classes begin either in late September or early October but as long as your advisor has funding, you are able to start around June if you want to start early. And you will be paid / be on the benefits etc. So it's definitely possible that you can start on a RAship before classes begin. This is also true for international students at my school---I think the school just changes the start date to the summer term start so, if your programs takes care of this too, then you don't have to worry about the "cannot enter on F-1 more than 30 days before program start date" rule. That is, the rule still exists, but your I-20 start date does not have to be the first day of class if your RAship is relevant to your degree progress.

[virtua]

On 8/1/2016 at 2:56 AM, TakeruK said:

The answers to both questions depend on the program you are being admitted to.

For question 1, you can try checking the Results Survey on TheGradCafe for your programs and see if they are listed. Otherwise, asking the schools you've applied to would be the best bet.

Question 2 depends on the school's ability to fund you. At my school, classes begin either in late September or early October but as long as your advisor has funding, you are able to start around June if you want to start early. And you will be paid / be on the benefits etc. So it's definitely possible that you can start on a RAship before classes begin. This is also true for international students at my school---I think the school just changes the start date to the summer term start so, if your programs takes care of this too, then you don't have to worry about the "cannot enter on F-1 more than 30 days before program start date" rule. That is, the rule still exists, but your I-20 start date does not have to be the first day of class if your RAship is relevant to your degree progress.

Thanks a lot for your answer!

What if I applied for Spring semester? Can they change it to Winter term (if there is one) or what do they do?

[fuzzylogician]

At this point your questions are pointless. The answer will depend on the particular school in question. All we can tell you are generalities, but we don't know the specifics of your case and the school. I would bet it's not as easy to have a student start earlier in the spring semester compared to the summer/fall; people generally have more free time and it's a new fiscal year so you can play with that. That said, it's just generally a lot less common for students to start in the spring, so I don't know how much experience any of us are going to have with that. And even if we could tell you that "at my school, always X", it's unclear how that would translate to what another unrelated school might say. 

[TakeruK]

37 minutes ago, virtua said:

What if I applied for Spring semester? Can they change it to Winter term (if there is one) or what do they do?

It could happen, but it's unlikely at my school. The whole reason of having a student start in the summer is that the prof would pay them as a summer RA and it would be a way to get some work done with the student prior to classes starting. Starting in the winter doesn't give the same advantages. So, it's less likely that someone would be willing to spend money in this way.

----

But all that said, I agree with fuzzy: I think you are getting too far ahead now. At this point, without an admission offer, there is not much more you can plan ahead. Every school (and also every prof at each school) may present different options.

You do have a difficult decision ahead, and I think there are merits to both taking the 2 year job vs. risking a certain job for a grad program that will set you up for the future. It's your personal decision on how much risk you are willing to take.

My only advice I can give is that I remember from your other posts that you had to leave a graduate program early this year. I think it will be difficult to enter a new graduate program right away (that is, schools may be less likely to accept you). Usually, when you leave a program and start another, there needs to be some change evident (i.e. new experiences like a job, switching fields to something that is a better fit etc.). Starting a 2 year contract right now might not be such a bad thing. You could work for a year, gain experience, apply in 2017 for a program that will begin September 2018, 2 years from now when your contract is up. But it's your decision.